DIY Life

OK, you officially have two weeks to dream up how you'd like to celebrate your Halloween. Chances are, candy and pumpkins are included, but have you remembered the most important part? That's right --- your furry friends! After all, Halloween is one of the few times it's publicly acceptable to dress up your dog (unless you live on the west coast, that is).

This year, I plan to throw a Howl'O'Ween Party for my pups, and in fact, I detailed the planned experience over on Holidash. Whether you want to throw a bash for your beagle or a party for your pug, I've made a handy little list for all included!:

1. Host your party at a park, or a home with a large, fenced-in yard to give the dogs plenty of space to run around. A happy dog makes a happy guest, and a happy guest makes a happy host!
2. Send out invitations (addressed to the dogs, of course!) to no more than six of your closest pet-toting pals. Too many pets in one place is never a good idea, and do your best to choose dogs that are socially-adapted.
3. Keep a lidded garbage can, pooper scooper and trash bags handy for unexpected "treats."
4. Purchase a few Halloween-themed dog treats (I love these adorable carob dog cookies!) and invite a local dog trainer to come teach your old dogs new tricks!
5. Plan a fun, entertaining game such as a pet costume contest or craft. Award the winners with extra treats (or tricks, if you're feeling naughty!).

Of course, you'll have to start planning wardrobe necessities right away, and we've got you covered in that arena, as well. I love this sweet little bumblebee costume and think it would be just perfect for my Yorkipoo, who, aptly enough, causes my head to buzz.

Moral of the story? You've got two weeks to plan a fun and eventful evening with your four-legged friends. At the end of the night, your dogs will go home exhausted, leaving you to enjoy your Hallow's Eve bark-free. Woo-hoo! I'll howl to that!

With Halloween coming up faster than I've realized, I'm researching a few easy DIY costumes for my two pups. Yes, dogs are allowed to embark (pun intended!) on holiday festivities, as well. Luckily, I've spotted these darling costumes from Woman's Day, complete with a Frenchman get-up that's sure to make the ladies go ga-ga!

To make the Frenchman's costume (which works best with small dogs), you need just a few materials:

• 11/2 feet. blue-and-white-striped material
• Piece of black felt 10 inch square
• Iron-on stiffening 10 inch square
• 2 feet red fabric
• 11/2 feet white bias binding
• 10 inch black bias binding
• White Velcro fastening

Easy enough, right? Of course, there's a free pattern download right here to make it even easier. Hurray to Woman's Day for giving our furry friends a cute, sassy and simple Halloween! I can't wait to Trick-or-Treat with my two pups, although I'll admit -- they may be fighting over which one gets to be the chef...

It can be tough to find rental housing where pets are welcomed. Expensive, too, once you factor in pet deposits. Let's look at top FAQs for finding & keeping awesome pet-friendly rental accommodations.

How do I find an apartment that allows my dogs, too?
Sometimes it seems like every rental ad out there blares "no dogs!" or "no pets!" In fact, the renting world's a lot more pet-friendly than it used to be. Approach your search with a glass-half-full attitude and it won't seem so daunting.

Your best bet is to look for large pet-friendly apartment complexes. Not only are dogs and cats welcomed at these places, but your neighbors are likely to look more kindly upon Bowser's occasional fit of barking.

Your front yard doesn't have to be perfectly manicured or professionally landscaped to look good. It is, however, your public face -- of sorts. Plus, your neighbors are forced to look at whatever you put out there!

Be a good neighbor: banish the following items from your front yard.

1. Plastic foliage. I'm talking anything you got from a craft store. Like this, for example. Plastic ivy. Faux dried sunflowers. Silk chrysanthemums. Plastic wreaths. Fake autumn leaves strung into streamers. Shudder.

Plastic flowers are tacky in the garden. They're unnecessary. After all, you have Mother Nature at your disposal! Why choose fake flowers? Finally, they evoke the cemetery. Enough said.

Lately, I've been coming across beautiful vintage TV and stereo cabinetry while making my weekly thrift shop rounds.

Most have beautiful wood finishes, and the designs are unusual and very retro, but I haven't been able to bring myself to buy a heavy cabinet filled with a dead Magnavox just for the cabinet. I continue to rack my brain to come up with a practical purpose for such a behemoth. What could possibly justify the time and trouble to lug this thing home?

Moxie, over on Craftster, came up with a clever and functional use for an old 1950s-style TV cabinet. Read more about it after the break.

Hurricane season has been in full swing for a few weeks now, but thankfully it's been very quiet so far. Don't let the lack of named hurricanes lull you into a false sense of security. The season stretches all the way to November 30th, and the peak of it -- August to October -- is yet to come.

Don't assume you'll have time to make preparations "if the needs arises." Of course, we all remember the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. And in 2004, Hurricane Charley was expected to head into the Gulf of Mexico and collide with Tampa. At the last minute, it made a sharp right turn and landed substantially farther south, obliterating entire neighborhoods and barrier islands.

If you live in a hurricane-prone area, and haven't yet made preparations in case one heads your way, here are a few of the most important steps you can take to keep you and your family safe this summer. You may never need to activate the plans you have in place, but it's good to know they're there.

A few weeks ago I took my 8-year-old English Bulldog to the vet. I thought he'd get his annual shots and we'd be on our way. Instead, he was diagnosed with arthritis (which I suspected) and I was also given the news that it was finally time to surgically correct his protruding third eyelid. Bummer.

Last week my dog went under the knife. Not only did they correct his eyelid, he also got a dental cleaning, and had his far-too-long nails trimmed back. The poor puppy was a mess. He came home, woozy from the anesthesia, and staggered around my living room like someone who had spent too many hours at the bar. But, in the days since, he's healing well.

Not only have my dog and I had to deal with the massive Elizabethan collar he's wearing, we've also had to deal with his multiple medications. It hasn't been fun. I've done some searching for tips on the web and gotten some advice from my vet on administering medications to dogs. I'll share the tips after the break.

I've witnessed many dog fights over the years. I've noticed that in a crowd situation such as a dog park, the response of the human observers is pretty predictable. Some stand and stare. Some scream at the dogs to stop... and the dogs ignore them completely. (Well, what did you expect?!) Then there are those -- usually the hapless owners -- who try to haul the dogs apart by the collars.

In fact, the worst thing you can do in a dog fight situation is to grab the dogs by the collars. You risk getting bitten really badly. Here's what you should do to stop a dog fight.

1. Get a volunteer to help you. Be warned: the other owner may not be the best choice. You will know that is the case if he/she stands there looking helpless. I had this happen to me once when a gianormous German Shepherd attacked my dog. It was very frightening. (Luckily I was armed with a baseball bat, so I was able to rescue my boy. Phew.)

With Easter coming later this week, I have bunnies and lambs on the brain. Although I may secretly just be indulging my own interest in the extreme cuteness of baby animals (against which I can fairly be described as "powerless"), I can't think of a better excuse to find as many adorable free patterns as I can... and post them up here for you.

Most of these are easy: there are plenty of little friends here that you should be able to make up in an evening or two. But if it takes you longer, no worries -- bunnies and lambs are great anytime! And if you don't want to make toys, there are patterns for household items here, too, like plenty of bunny-shaped egg cozies.

You'll find more than 50 squee-worthy ideas, between the ones after the break and the ones in Part II (coming up later today).

When it comes to protecting our families from poisonous plants, we go about things wrong, all wrong. Backwards, in fact.

Yes, you are probably already aware that a great many common garden and container plants are poisonous to humans and/or family pets. But if I asked you to identify the ones posing the greatest risk to you and your family, chances are you'd be stumped, or perhaps hard pressed to name more than one or two.

Why? Because we learn about poisonous plants from our teachers at school, from books, and from television. We see pages and pages of photographs of toxic leaves and berries. We scan ultra-long lists of poisonous plant names. The nerdier among us (Ooh! Me! Me!) have tried and failed to memorize some of this mass of information.

Silly thing is, your own yard is the best starting point for learning. Once you feel confident in your own landscape, it will be much easier to branch out and learn about less well-known species, which I'll discuss after the jump. And check out my gallery below if you'd like to see some of the common poisonous plants growing in my yard.

Can any dog lover resist watching dog shows on TV? The past few weeks have been dog show heaven: first, the Eukanuba Invitational, and just the other day, the Westminster Kennel Club show. It made me want to post a sweet doggie for you to make.

This cute little life-size dachshund from Runo Dollmaker fits the bill: there is a printable free pattern, and a photo tutorial to accompany it. You'll need sewing notions, several kinds of cloth and thread, stuffing, and eyes.

Please join me after the break for some tips on working with fake fur fabric, as well as a link to one crafter's absolutely precious hand-sewn success.

Recently, Unclutterer posted some useful information for those of us who drown in piles of pet hair. In response to a post about speedy house-cleaning, a reader asked what to do about piles of fur shed by their Chocolate Lab. The question came up because most "Clean your house really quickly!" plans don't take pet ownership into account.

Erin from Unclutterer responded with a number of tips for dog and cat owners. In summary, and with a few parenthetical comments from me, they are:

• Pick up pet-hair dust-bunnies with damp paper towels daily.
• Bathe pets as frequently as you can: a lot of excess fur will go down the drain with the water. (Bathing a dog more often than every few weeks can really dry out their skin, so be careful with this one. Also, it can clog your drains.)
• Brush pets regularly. (A shedding loop/blade may be more helpful for longer-haired or double-coated dogs.)

Find the rest of the tips, more ideas about how you can put them into action, and information about equipment that might help you, all after the break!

Moving is tough. Moving with pets is even tougher. They are so much a part of your family, but movers, hotel personnel, and airline staff may not share your affection. Caring for pets properly during a move isn't overly complicated, but it does take lots of planning.

Here are 9 crucial things to do in order to ensure a successful move with your pet. The list covers everything from how to make arrangements with airlines, to managing the transfer of vet records. You'll also want to map out driving routes, and note the places where you can stop for food and exercise. Having this worked out ahead of time will make sure that your pet gets what he needs but will also take a load of stress off of you.

Don't forget to spoil your pet a little during this time. Transitions are hard for the best of us, imagine going through all of that without really understanding what's going on or what to expect next. When you get to the new home, let your pet explore their new surroundings. Take the time to play together in the new space, but make sure you have current ID tags in case they try to venture home to your old house without you.

If you're planning renovations on your new home, we've got tips for that too. Check out Taking care of pets during home improvement projects.

Have you noticed that pet beds cost an arm and a leg? Like this one from LLBean or this one from Drs. Foster and Smith ($119-$199!). Or how about this one for $89.99 -- are you kidding me, Petsmart?! There are cheapies out there, but many of them are sewn into their covers and, hence, not machine washable. Ick.

As an experienced pet-mama, here are my requirements for a good pet bed: 1) inexpensive, 2) durable, 3) a color that hides grime, and 4) easy-to-remove, machine washable cover. If you have access to a sewing machine, consider a simple DIY pet bed like this one. Just use a cheapo bed pillow for stuffin' and use whatever fabric you like for the cover. Bonus: you can buy fabric that matches the rest of your decor.

What I love about these instructions is that the designer, Candace, keeps it super-simple and affordable. You're basically sewing a big open-ended pillow-case. No fussing to attach a zipper, velcro or button closure. For a bigger dog, you can use multiple pillows. However, in that situation you will have to have something to hold them all together in one unit. Here's what I do to make my own DIY beds for larger dogs: I use an inexpensive under-bed storage bag. Choose one like this, made of fabric that breathes, not a plastic one. Stuff the pillows into that, zip it closed, and stuff that bag inside your homemade cover. Voila! Your dog will be in hound heaven.

Does your puppy linger under the children as they open their advent calendar, hoping some chubby little hands will drop a piece of chocolate? I never would have thought of including the pets in this, but if you're looking for a way to give your pet his own advent calender, this is a great project for you. It only takes about an hour and you probably have most of the materials around the house. Here's what you'll need:

1. Green poster board (or another color with a green cellophane overlay)
2. pen or pencil and marker
3. Scissors
4. Tape
5. Glue gun or stapler
6. 26 foil cupcake liners
7. 25 Dog or cat treats

The full instructions and pictures will guide you through crafting this treat tree. I think it's a cute idea to make an advent wreath for your pet, but I don't see that this design has to be for an animal. you could use all the same ideas and fold chocolate or other candy into the cupcake liners. Better yet, make your children and the family pet matching calenders. The countdown started Saturday so you better get crafting!